Kerr Russell Director of Marketing Roy Sexton [that’s me!] will be a guest on this week’s “Small Talk with Mark S. Lee” broadcast, scheduled to air Sunday, 9/2/18, 8-9am, EDT, on WXYT 1270, and streamed via radio.com (search 1270/Detroit). You can also download the Radio.com app and here’s a link: https://app.radio.com/wvK9HktXjP.

He is the former Vice President of Brand Development and Marketing Communications at Florida Blue, Florida’s Blue Cross Blue Shield plan, where he was responsible for leading the company’s brand initiatives, marketing communications and the development and implementation of promotional programs focused on supporting strategic priorities.

Prior, Mr. Lee held senior-marketing leadership roles with nationally known companies across the country including, PepsiCo, The Auto Club Group (AAA), et. al.

His column turned blog, “Small Talk with Mark S. Lee”, appeared in the Michigan Chronicle for three years and now appears via blog for Crain’s Detroit Business. It provides tips to businesses who are interested in growing their business and to individuals who aspire to become entrepreneurs.

Roy Sexton is responsible for leading Kerr Russell’s marketing, business development, communications, and strategic planning efforts.

He has nearly 20 years of experience in marketing, communications, business development, and strategic planning, having worked at Deloitte Consulting, Oakwood Healthcare (now Beaumont), Trott Law (formerly Trott & Trott), and St. Joseph Mercy Health System. He has been heavily involved regionally and nationally in the Legal Marketing Association as a board member, content expert, and presenter. He is treasurer-elect currently for the Legal Marketing Association’s Midwest Regional Board of Directors. He was named a Michigan Lawyers Weekly “Unsung Legal Hero” in 2018.

He earned his Bachelor’s degree from Wabash College, and holds two masters degrees: an MA in theatre from The Ohio State University and an MBA from the University of Michigan. He is a graduate of Leadership Detroit and Leadership A2Y, was a governor-appointed member of the Michigan Council of Labor and Economic Growth, and was appointed to the Michigan Mortgage Lenders Association Board of Governors in 2012.

He served as an at-large member of LMA’s Midwest Regional Board, served on the advisory committee for Strategies Magazine, and was a member of the Social Media SIG steering group. He has been involved on the following nonprofit boards and committees: First Step, Michigan Quality Council, National MS Society, ASPCA, Wabash College Southeast Michigan Alumni Association, Penny Seats Theatre Company and the Spotlight Players. He currently sits on the boards of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Ann Arbor, Royal Starr Film Festival, Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit, and encoremichigan.com. He is a published author with two books Reel Roy Reviews, Volumes 1 & 2.

Yes, this “week of Roy” continues (I wonder how many people have muted me at this point …) An interview for the Legal Marketing Association – LMA International’s StrategiesMagazine (May/June 2018) about transitioning in and out of the legal industry … and back again.

Thank you to Amber Bollman for the opportunity to contribute, and I love sharing the discussion with fellow LMA board member and friend Taryn Dreyer Elliott. “‘Life After Legal,’ a panel discussion featuring four former legal marketing professionals who ultimately moved into other industries.”

As my father sweetly emailed, “Very impressive! Glad you inherited Susie’s intellect! You be brilliant. Love you.” Thanks, indeed, to my mom Susie Sexton for her guidance, compassion, intelligence, fire, and wit. I am ever grateful for all that both my parents have taught me.

In the past few days, I’ve been called “an unsung hero,” “a connector,” “a home run,” and “a special human being.” I can live with that. 😉 Thank you, sweet people, who have been completely bamboozled by me …

Michigan Lawyers Weekly announced the 26 members of its second class of “Unsung Legal Heroes” earlier this week. The program honors law firm employees who have “consistently gone above and beyond the call of duty, often behind the scenes.”

The honorees will be profiled in a special supplement in the July 30 issue.

Sexton is Kerr Russell’s first marketing director, having held the role since July 2017. Previously, he was the senior vice president of Corporate Affairs for Trott Law in Farmington Hills. He has also held leadership roles at Saint Joseph Mercy Health System and Oakwood (now Beaumont) Healthcare.

In collaboration with the marketing committee, Sexton helped developed the firm’s “Est. in Detroit 1874” marketing campaign. Sexton has nearly 20 years of experience in marketing, communications, business development, and strategic planning.

AND Columbia City Post & Mail:

Legal Marketing Association: Michigan Lawyers Weekly recently announced its 2018 class of “Unsung Legal Heroes” – law firm employees who have consistently gone above and beyond the call of duty, often behind the scenes. Four current LMA Michigan members were named in the Legal Marketing category this year:

Heather Morse for Legal Watercooler: “Lean into your ‘super power.’ There’s always something we know better, our differentiator. Lean into it early on in your career (or at any time, really). For someone like Roy Sexton, it’s his ability to be a connector. For someone like Nancy Myrland, it’s social media. Figure out what that is and allow it to open the next door to the next level of your career.”

And after taking my parents to see Ry Cooder perform at Ann Arbor’s historic Michigan Theatre on Friday, June 22.

Susie Sexton: “oh, oh, oh…and thanks for the concert and the books and the food and the cds and the dvds….nice event you provided. and I may have finally gotten how really neat Ry Cooder is by reading more about him and the fact that I could once sit through a cowboy movie of the carradine bros. and keach bros. BECAUSE of the swirling americana wild west symphonic score. just ate some of your cookies, too. one of these days we shall just visit each other for no apparent reason I bet. but concerts and roy shows and gifties are mighty fine!”

Don Sexton: “Thanks – and thanks for the Ry Cooder concert – he is one of those people – unknown to a lot of folks – who made an impact on the music world – enjoyed it and we loved seeing you – thanks for being a special human being. Love you.”

Thanks to the Detroit Legal News for this coverage of my upcoming presentation – alongside Gina Rubel, Heather Morse, and Megan McKeon – at the national Legal Marketing Association conference. You can find out more about LMA at legalmarketing.org – here’s a scan of the article and the full text follows …

(Congratulations also to my colleague Marcy Ford and her recognition here as a recipient of the inaugural “Career Mastered: Women’s Leadership in Action” award in Southeast Michigan!)

Trott Law, a Farmington Hills-based real estate finance law firm, announced today that Senior Vice President of Corporate AffairsRoySextonhas been selected to participate in a panel on legal marketing at the 2015 Legal Marketing Association (LMA) Annual Conference. The conference will take place on April 13-15 at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront in San Diego, California.

As the authority for legal marketing that brings together marketing and business development professionals from firms across the Unites States, LMA invited Sextonto sit on a four-person panel, titled “Collaboration and Coexistence among Barristers and ‘Baristas.’”Sextonand his fellow panelists will focus their discussion on practical advice on effectively communicating with lawyers, leveraging generational commonalities, delivering results that will build credibility and establishing a career network.

Sextonearned his Bachelor’s degree from Wabash College in 1995 and is a 1997 graduate of The Ohio State University, where he earned his Master’s degree in Theatre. In 2007, he graduated with his MBA from the University of Michigan. He is a graduate of Leadership Detroit, a governor-appointed member of the Michigan Council of Labor and Economic Growth, and was appointed to the Michigan Mortgage Lenders Association Board of Governors in 2012. Currently,Sextonis an active participant in the Leadership Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti program.

Additionally,Sextonhas been involved in a number of nonprofit boards and committees, including First Step, Michigan Quality Council, National MS Society, ASPCA, Wabash College Southeast Michigan Alumni Association, Penny Seats Theatre Company and the Spotlight Players. He recently published two books, Reel RoyReviews, Volumes 1 & 2, collections of essays on film, theatre, and culture culled from his blog, reelroyreviews.com.

Prior to joining Trott Law,Sextonspent 10 years in various planning and communications roles at Oakwood Healthcare System, serving as the corporate director of strategic communications and planning. In this role he led a staff of 20 marketing professionals and developed the strategic direction for the $1 billion health care system.

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And I had a great visit to Indiana this past weekend – yes, that Indiana (the one I famously excoriated in my last entry, which was reprinted in my mom’s “Old Type Writer” column here) – to spend time with parents and to celebrate my dad’s birthday and Easter and whatnot.

Thanks to Jennifer Romano and Talk of the Town! Read here. Quote from yours truly: “As my blog rolls into another year of entertainment, rife with comic book adaptations, sequels, Oscar bait, arena shows, and theatrical productions big and small, sometimes I wonder if I am choking the life right from this hobby of mine. Can you imagine if every time you saw a film that your OCD tendencies forced you to rush home, throw some quippy hoo-ha on the internet, and wait eagerly for 3.5 comments to appear? Ah, well, it’s still too much fun to stop now—anticipate Volume THREE Roy’s Movie Migraine shortly.”

Excerpt: “Regarding BUT HAVE YOU READ THE BOOK jazz, my mother ALWAYS asked that question. Guess what? She very seldom had actually read the books herself; I preferred to write my book reports based on the more enjoyable movie versions!”

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Reel Roy Reviews 2

Reel Roy Reviews is now TWO books! You can purchase your copies by clicking here (print and digital)

I am very lucky to have parents who continue to support and celebrate everything I do, even though I am too old to be doing all these silly things. My dad always makes a point to brag about me at his weekly Rotary meetings in Columbia City, Indiana, the small town in which I grew up and where my parents still reside. Below is a snapshot of the front page of the latest Rotary newsletter – you can see a mention of me and the latest book in the lower right corner. Thanks, Susie and Don – love you!

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Reel Roy Reviews 2

Reel Roy Reviews is now TWO books! You can purchase your copies by clicking here (print and digital)

Excellent – honest – fun – intelligent reviews! These reviews of current films and concerts are perfect pieces reflecting the state of entertainment and the amount of creativity, or lack of creativity, that is found in each endeavor. And unlike some reviewers who take themselves too seriously, Roy uses humor and good sense to make this book enjoyable and pure pleasure. Highly recommended. – Don Sexton

Night at the Museum

About time a genius emerged from our vast family tree…and here he is…brilliant, fair-minded, entertaining, and provocative. The other genius in our genealogy served as Harry Truman’s secretary…so it has indeed been awhile. Buy this book…volume II and enjoy the reverence for and keen judgment of the film industry…casts, characters, scripts, cinematography, special effects or lack of them, themes, and all delivered with authority and humor from an astute author and fun and witty critic! He is the best! Gene Siskel, move over! – Susie Sexton

So, there you go! And if you can’t trust the parents of a shameless self-promoter like me, whom can you trust?

Thanks to The Legal News for this coverage (click here for digital version) …

“Keep ’em coming!” is something Roy Sexton’s readers have said frequently over the past dozen months since the release of his first book of film reviews, Reel Roy Reviews: Keepin’ it Real.

Sexton, a resident of Saline/Ann Arbor, started out penning saucy missives about the latest Hollywood blockbusters at his blog www.reelroyreviews.com, but lately he has been writing more about theatrical productions, concerts, and other live musical performances, as well as conducting the occasional interview.

In his latest book Reel Roy Reviews, Vol. 2: Keep ‘Em Coming!, Roy reviews Sting’s new musical The Last Ship, offers musings on shows by Lady Gaga, Cher, Randy Newman, and Katy Perry; and has written one of the snarkiest pieces you will ever read about a Transformers film.

Fellow author Tom Joyce (The Freak Foundation Operative’s Report) adds, “The guy’s obviously a hardcore film geek, who’s seen a ton of movies and has a good sense of what makes a quality film. But there’s an element of populism to his approach that I see lacking in a lot of film reviewers. He understands that sometimes you’re just not in the mood for a transcendent redefinition of the cinematic art form. Sometimes you just want a fun night at the movies. In other words, he doesn’t review like a serious student of cinema, so much as a regular person who just happens to really like movies. And, since that description fits me and — I’d venture to say — the vast majority of movie viewers that makes his reviews enormously engaging.”

Reel Roy Reviews, Vol. 1: Keepin’ It Real was released on the Open Books (www.open-bks.com) imprint in February 2014, and this second volume is available for pre-order now (print edition and digital downloads distributing mid-January 2015). Both volumes will also be available on Amazon, iTunes, and Nook. The books can be found in Southeast Michigan at Dearborn’s Green Brain Comics and Ann Arbor’s Bookbound and Common Language book stores.

In the second volume’s introduction, Sexton writes, “As my blog rolls into another year of entertainment, rife with comic book adaptations, sequels, Oscar bait, arena shows, and theatrical productions big and small, sometimes I wonder if I am choking the life right from this hobby of mine. Can you imagine if every time you saw a film that your OCD tendencies forced you to rush home, throw some quippy hoo-ha on the internet, and wait eagerly for 3.5 comments to appear? Ah, well, it’s still too much fun to stop now—anticipate Volume THREE Roy’s Movie Migraine shortly.”

Sexton, son of Don and Susie Sexton, grew up in Columbia City, Indiana. His mother (www.susieduncansexton.com) is also a published author, whose two essay collections Secrets of an Old Typewriter and More Secrets of an Old Typewriter, are published by Open Books.

Roy earned his Bachelor’s degree from Wabash College in 1995 and is a 1997 graduate of The Ohio State University, where he earned his Master’s degree in Theatre. In 2007, Roy graduated with his MBA from the University of Michigan. He is a graduate of Leadership Detroit, is a governor-appointed member of the Michigan Council of Labor and Economic Growth and was appointed to the Michigan Mortgage Lenders Association Board of Governors in 2012. He is currently participating in the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Chamber of Commerce’s yearlong Leadership A2Y program, and he is an active member of the Legal Marketing Association.

Roy has been involved on the following nonprofit boards and committees: First Step, Michigan Quality Council, National MS Society, ASPCA, Wabash College Southeast Michigan Alumni Association, Penny Seats Theatre Company and the Spotlight Players. Sexton is Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs for Trott Law, P.C., a Farmington Hills, Michigan-based real estate law firm.

Prior to joining Trott, Roy spent 10 years in various planning and communications roles at Oakwood Healthcare System, serving as the Corporate Director of Strategic Communications and Planning. In this role he led a staff of 20 marketing professionals and developed the strategic direction for the $1 billion health care system.

Sexton has been an active participant in the local theatre scene for nearly twenty years, having appeared in a number of productions. Sexton most recently performed in The Penny Seats’ sold out run of the Tom Lehrer cabaret Tomfoolery at Conor O’Neill’s in Ann Arbor. Prior to that, Sexton had the lead role in Ann Arbor’s Penny Seats production of the Neil Simon/Cy Coleman/Carolyn Leigh musical Little Me, playing seven different characters. He is a co-founder of the theatre company. He was featured as Professor Callahan in Legally Blonde the Musical at Farmington Players, and he played Georg Nowack in She Loves Me with The Penny Seats. He has also appeared in Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet), What Corbin Knew, Oklahoma!, The Pajama Game, Company, Bells are Ringing, Rags, Side by Side by Sondheim, The Taming of the Shrew, Fiddler on the Roof, The Fantasticks, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Ah, Wilderness!, God’s Country, The American Clock, As You Like It, Tartuffe, The Battle of Shallowford, Trout, and The Merchant of Venice. He is also an active cabaret performer.

Sexton comments, “Thanks to all those people out there who support with their time, their money, their attention popular art in all its varied forms. Now go see something fun and tell all your friends about it! That’s the best kind of reviewing in the world.”